SPOTLIGHT: Rethinking the Frontline EVP, With PepsiCo Foods North America CHRO Patrick McLaughlin

Patrick McLaughlin, PepsiCo Foods North America CHRO, joined the
Talent Angle at Evanta’s 2023 Dallas CHRO Executive Summit in
June to reflect on what he refers to as “the inversion
of the labor market.” For the first time, there are more
jobs than people to fill them. HR leaders are charged with
retaining and engaging the frontline workforce amid changing
employee expectations and a competitive talent landscape. Patrick
offers his perspective on current workforce trends, reflects on
lessons learned in recent years and identifies opportunities for
organizations to improve the employee experience for frontline
workers.


 




Patrick McLaughlin is senior vice president and chief HR
officer for PepsiCo Foods North America, an operating
division of PepsiCo. He is a 27-year veteran of PepsiCo with
a broad range of leadership experience in beverages and
foods. Before joining PepsiCo, Patrick worked for Exxon USA
based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Patrick holds bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in organizational communication from Purdue
University. Patrick also serves on the board of the Sabra
Dipping Company, a joint venture of PepsiCo and the Strauss
Group. He is an avid football fan and enjoys travel,
gardening and cooking; he and his husband, David Talley, are
active in the Dallas and New Orleans communities.




 


Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR
practice. He is responsible for building and leading research
teams within the practice to address clients’ key
initiatives. Before his current role, he spent over 25 years
at Gartner leading research teams focused on banking and
financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that
addressed business strategy, channels, marketing, customer
experience and product challenges. He holds a bachelor’s
degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s
degree in international politics from Aberystwyth University
(formerly known as the University College of Wales,
Aberystwyth); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in
political science from Brown University.